Jeremy shrugged.
“Please keep in mind what I said and try to do what’s best for them.”
“Okay,” I said, unsure about what to do with that.
Jeremy brightened.
“Your son Allen is an interesting one. He’s your creative kid, and you need to encourage that in him. He will end up being either a musician, artist, or writer when he gets older …”
Jeremy had trailed off and looked confused.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just surprised. Allen has hidden talents, talents like I have. Were you aware his grandmother Kincaid has abilities? She can see things that are going to happen. It skipped a generation.
“Please don’t make him ashamed of what he is if he begins showing abilities when he’s young. I know from experience how horrible that can be …” he trailed off and then looked at me. “But I’m sure you would never do that.”
“I’ll talk to his mother about it and make sure we make it okay for him to be whatever he becomes,” I assured Jeremy.
“Once Allen’s abilities come to him, he’ll find the woman he’s supposed to be with. I get the sense that their meeting will be something unusual,” Jeremy said mysteriously.
I was sure it was part of the psychic shtick to give vague and unusual predictions that would somehow reveal themselves.
“What about Dawson?” I asked.
“He’ll be your athlete. You’ll have to work with him on taking care of his schoolwork, or it will eventually derail his aspirations. If you push him academically, it’ll open a lot of doors. Just as it will for you.”
“Carol?” I asked.
“Face it, you’re screwed. She’ll be Daddy’s little princess and, in your eyes, unable to do wrong. She’ll rule the roost as far as the boys go. You need to watch her and make sure she doesn’t abuse her power. If she were to ask them, they would all kick a boy’s ass for hurting her feelings. The problem is that as a girl, she’ll be all about feelings.”
Frick! This was my worst nightmare.
“Before I get too depressed. What about my youngest, Coby?” I asked.
Jeremy frowned, surprising me.
“Coby will test you. Of all your kids, he’s the one you need to spend the most time with. Coby’s instinct is to be the protector. Like a guard dog, that can either be good or bad. You’ll have to instill in him a strong code of conduct for what’s right and wrong.
“If you don’t, Coby might turn to a life of crime. The sad part is, he would be good at it. Then again, he can do a lot of good if focused correctly. Be patient with Coby as he navigates childhood. You might not think you’re getting through to him, but he will listen, and more importantly, watch you,” Jeremy said.
He hesitated, like he wasn’t sure if he should tell me something or not. Then he nodded like he was listening to someone.
“Do you have someone who teaches you martial arts?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah, my friend Cassidy.”
“Have her teach your children. They’ll need to learn to protect themselves and understand when it’s okay to resort to violence and when it’s not. Cassidy would be perfect for doing that,” Jeremy said.
I wondered if that might be true. Cassidy had a tendency to hurt boys when it suited her. I worried that if she made Carol her protégé, my boys wouldn’t stand a chance. I would put that on the back burner and think it through later. Something he said about protecting themselves worried me, though.
“Lexi, I need to talk to David privately,” Jeremy said.
We waited until she left before Jeremy became serious.
“Your grandfather says to listen to your dad. What he told you earlier this week, you need to take to heart. Unfortunately, you have to grow up before your time. Your getting shot should be a wake-up call. You have security for a reason.”
“I totally get it,” I said.
“That being said, the drama in your life is far from over. Dust off your life goals and use them to decide the right path moving forward. You have a lot of possible outcomes available to you. If you use them as a guide, you should be okay,” Jeremy said.
That would make my uncle happy.
“Okay,” I conceded. “Do you foresee what will happen? Should I play ball, act, do something else?”
“When the time is right, your path forward will become clear. Until then, keep your options open.”
“Are there any roadblocks in my path?” I asked.
“You’re not done dealing with the NCAA. Unfortunately, the problem you have with them will be affected by larger concerns on their part. Large organizations don’t like change being forced on them. Be careful, or you might be made an example of,” he said and paused. “It might not be just the NCAA.”
“Why? What will happen?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what all this means,” Jeremy admitted. “All I can say is you should be vigilant and willing to change your plans for what is best for you. Be careful when you put the needs of others before your own.”
That wasn’t worthless advice at all. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was afraid I would find out. I only hoped I didn’t do it the hard way.
“Why did you kick Lexi out?” I asked.
Jeremy sighed.
“You have to be careful of Lexi. She can be the catalyst for a lot of good, but also for a lot of heartaches if you’re not careful. I’m not sure, though, if the good she can do for you outweighs the bad.”
“I think I already knew that,” I said.
Jeremy chuckled.
“Your grandfather says you don’t have a clue.”
“That sounds like something he would say. I’m sure it’s like my uncle’s advice that when I finally grow up, I’ll understand.”
Jeremy just gave me a mysterious smile.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“The last part is the hardest. Carol’s mother may be in danger. She has something about her that makes her vulnerable to predators. I get the sense that her anchor that was keeping her safe has suddenly left.”
I closed my eyes. Fritz had removed Paul from our detail, which meant he got shipped back to California for reassignment or even termination. This might be one of those unintended consequences I hated.
“I understand what you’re talking about. I’ll see what I can do about it,” I assured Jeremy and thanked him.
He’d given me some stuff to think about.
◊◊◊
“What did he say after I left?” Lexi asked as we walked to the car.
“That you could be the best PA ever, but you needed to step up your game. He suggested that I might need to find a new one.”
She looked at me skeptically.
“He did not,” she decided, and then switched into business mode. “We’re going to meet the woman doing your portrait.”
The gift bag from the Academy Awards had included a portrait. The artist had asked to meet me before she began painting it.
Like everywhere in LA, it seemed to take forever to get to her studio. She had space in the Artist Studios Los Angeles, which was close to the USC campus. It was a large building with murals painted on the exterior. When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a photo shoot in progress. A muscular black man, made up as a boxer, was the subject.
My first instinct was to go over and tell them what they were doing wrong—the lighting was causing shadows—but Lexi grabbed my arm and directed me inside.
What I found was an artist’s haven. They’d taken a large, open, warehouse-like space and put up eight-foot walls to divide it into individual studios. The studios didn’t have ceilings, which allowed the natural light from the large windows above to come in.
Along the halls, each artist had some of their work on display. I particularly loved what one artist was creating. She’d taken blue jeans and used them as her canvas. She had three of them displayed in the hall. I made a mental note to come back and see if any of her stuff was for sale.
Allana Megginson had a studio at the end of the hall. Outside her space, she had hung portraits of different celebrities. I took a moment to admire them. Each painting had been done in a style that fit the personality of the person depicted. There was one of a well-known comic that was almost a caricature. Next to it hung one of a serious actress that was so detailed, it almost looked like a photograph.